Welcome! One of the biggest keys to success on Etsy is making sure that the mock-up, or the image you’re using to display your product, draws customers in. This quick tutorial will explain how to use Canva and a mock-up image off of Etsy to make a clean product photo for your listing. Let’s dive in!
For this tutorial, you will need: a FREE Canva account, a mock-up, and an image of your product. Tips for where/what to purchase will be shared below.
If you have a Canva Pro account, which I recommend, they have a section called “smart mock ups” where you can select a mock up, upload your image, and it fits perfectly. You can also purchase mock-ups on Etsy, which is what I generally do.
I have found that the best dimensions for an Etsy listing are 2000 x 1500px. Most mock-ups that you buy easily resize to these dimensions.
Tips for choosing the best mock up:
For this tutorial, I recommend using Etsy to find the mock-up that fits your needs. It can be tricky to find “the one” that also matches your brand. Here are some of my tips to help guide you:
- “Smart templates” are my go-to for Canva. These mock-ups utilize frames, so you can basically drag and drop your image into the mock-up. These are usually advertised as “for Canva”.
- Select a mock-up that is clean and eye catching, but also fits your product. You don’t want to spend your time making a product that a customer won’t take seriously because you didn’t prioritize how it’s displayed.
- Select a mock-up that shows your product up close, not from a distance. You want to catch your customer’s eye as they scroll through Etsy.
- Use a mockup that accurately portrays your product. For example, if you are advertising a 20oz tumbler wrap, don’t display your design on a mock up that isn’t designed for a 20oz tumbler. It may sound silly, but it happens more often than you’d think.
Make Your Mock-up in Canva
Once you select the mock up you want to use, open it on the program of your choice. I created my 2000 x 1500px custom size document in Canva and uploaded my mock-up image [purchased here].
Next, I added my card image (7 x 5in) moved and resized it to fit the mock-up, then hit “send to back”.
Hot Tip: I almost always add a simple text element with a box behind it with my url and the file format. This is optional, but I like to make it clear to the customer what type of file it is and that it’s a digital download.
Before doing this, I found that customers didn’t read the description or title close enough and would ask for a refund because they wanted an SVG and not a PNG. Now, I list it in the title, the description, and on the listing image. People still sometimes manage to miss it, BUT not as often as before.
Once you are satisfied by your mock-up, save your file as a PNG.
Another hot tip: do you have a bunch of products that you want to sell using the same mock-up?
Save yourself some time by “duplicating” this mock-up, then open the duplicate, select the product, select “replace”, select your next product image, then it will take the exact place as the first image and you won’t need to waste time resizing! If I know that I will need 10 mock-ups, I duplicate the first page 9 times. Boom! With just a little bit of effort, this will become the fastest part of creating your listing.
Next, open your Etsy Seller app or open your listings in your internet browser and upload your image! If you’re looking for a complete tutorial on how to write a listing, you can read my tutorial here.
Links included in this tutorial:
- My listing using this template
- Free Canva Account
- Sign up for Canva pro
- Mock-up used in this tutorial
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